The global ETF industry pulled in a record $620.54 billion in net inflows between January and April 2025, according to ETF research firm ETFGI’s data.
This marked the strongest start to a year for the sector, exceeding the previous highs of $467.69 billion in 2024 and $464.20 billion in 2021.
ETFs saw net inflows of $157.03 billion in April. It was also the 71st consecutive month of net positive flows, underlining steady investor demand for the structure. Total assets invested in ETFs globally reached $15.44 trillion by the end of April, slightly below the all-time high of $15.50 trillion set in February 2025.
Equity ETFs led the inflows with $85.85 billion in April, bringing the year-to-date total to $297.44 billion, ahead of the $263.08 billion seen by the same point last year. Fixed income ETFs added $16.22 billion during the month, pushing the year’s total to $98.19 billion, while commodities ETFs brought in $10.50 billion in April, taking the year-to-date figure to $32.41 billion—up from net outflows in 2024.
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Active ETFs attracted $32.20 billion in April and have so far taken in $176.75 billion in 2025, a jump from $96.93 billion over the same period last year. The top 20 ETFs by net new assets brought in a combined $88.28 billion in April. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF alone accounted for $20.88 billion, the highest individual inflow. In the ETP segment, the top 10 products collected $1.73 billion, with the AMUNDI PHYSICAL GOLD ETC leading at $391.18 million.
“The S&P 500 index was down 0.68% in April and is down 4.92% YTD in 2025. The developed markets excluding the US index was up 4.86% in April and is up 10.85% YTD in 2025. Spain (up 8.65%) and Portugal (up 7.67%) saw the largest increases amongst the developed markets in April. The emerging markets index increased by 0.88% during April and is up 1.80% YTD in 2025. Hungary (up 10.78%) and Mexico (up 10.40%) saw the largest increases amongst emerging markets in April,” according to Deborah Fuhr, managing partner, founder and owner of ETFGI.